BP Unfiltered

Top 101 Prospects of 2013, Sliced and Diced

Yesterday, Jason Parks and the Baseball Prospectus prospect crew released our Top 101 Prospects of 2013, also newly available in printed form in the now-shipping Baseball Prospectus 2013 annual. The festivities were wild and raucous for all, perhaps tempered slightly for fans of the Chicago White Sox. Here is the Top 101 list displayed by position, by organization, and by prospect age. Enjoy!

The shortage of first basemen on this is interesting. Of course several of the nominal 3B, OF and C will play first in the majors if they make it that far, but this is the fewest prospects in recent memory who have 1B as their nominal starting position. Wonder why? Difference in the way Jason and Kevin view prospects? Disappearance of large slow guys who hit the ball a long way? Unusually high graduation rate from last year's list, or unusually small rate of converting 3B/C prospects? Statistical fluke?

Is it really a significant difference? I can't think of a lot of 1B only prospects recently - Hosmer, Belt and not that much more. Even guys like Montero who are very likely 1B/DH types wouldn't have been categorised at 1B in lists.

Same as why there's not many 2b prospects. Prospects get slid down the defensive spectrum only when needed. So a good number of those SS don't have the arm to play at the MLB level, so they become 2b if their bat is good enough. If they lack the range, but have the arm, they become 3b. Even if all 52 position prospects become MLB regulars, most will not do it at the position at which they entered professional baseball.